The nootropics are a class of “smart” drugs and supplements that enhance brain performance, and in an increasingly competitive and fast paced, sensory seeking culture, they’re quickly gaining wide popularity.

The term nootropic translates to “turning the mind,” and in this sense we’re turning the mind toward improved performance by accelerating learning, sharpening memory and enhancing recall.

In the recent, fairly good movie “Limitless,” Bradley Cooper’s main character is shown rather quickly turning from a cognitively average drug addict into a relative genius and rising politician… all from a little pill that lights his neurochemistry up like Christmas Vacation.

While the movie gives a potential perspective on what’s possible through the massive, growing field of psychopharmacology, a personal vignette is in order. I was diagnosed with narcolepsy in medical school. That’s where one falls asleep abruptly in inappropriate and potentially dangerous situations, and that is neurologically verified by clinical data in an EEG directed sleep lab.

I was given a cousin of Ritalin caused Cylert. Totally worked and I was hooked. For about 4 years I was tied to it daily. It only came after another wake up that I decided to take a different approach.

The wake up came while in my psychiatric residency in the form of my last major concussion. Up to that point I had 4 major head traumas, one of which included me landing on my crown while diving and breaking my neck.

This latest concussion happened when I got turned upside down on my snowboard in a terrain park and put a 6 inch crack in the back of my helmet.

Even with the Cylert on board my focus, concentration and memory were shot, and it gradually dawned on me… am I going to be taking this medication for life, even if it’s not doing the trick?

This was all while watching 3 of 4 of my grandparents die with neurodegenerative conditions. If you’ve ever seen a person in advanced Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease… it gets your attention.

The natural question then arose… Holy crap, is that going to be me?

So, is it really possible to dramatically change the brain for the better… and if so how does it work and how can I do it… what is the protocol and what are the down sides if any… ?

This article is essentially geared to answer these questions, although to be clear, a full discourse in answering the question of how to turn your brain into a racecar engine and drive it as such is another volume of blog posts and multi-opinionated examination… we venture forth.

The brief answer is yes, the brain can be driven like a race car in hands of an Andretti.

In fact, it can be driven like a fighter jet on greased lightening. We’re only scratching the surface of our cognitive potential as there are massively exciting technologies that we’re not even covering here (for example advanced neuro-feedback, holodynamic cognitive enhancement through sound and light therapies, targeted amino acid therapy specifically tailored to a person’s individual neurochemistry, and accelerated avenues for clearing out the interference in the neural networks). But for now, we’ll settle for the nutrients and practices readily available to the average person.

Nootropics enhance performance by various mechanisms –

1. improve the supply of beneficial neurochemicals,

2. boost neuronal communication,

3. enhance nerve growth and repair,

4. increase oxygen flow

The ones I’ve included here are all ones I’m directly familiar with, both professionally and personally, and by no means is this an exhaustive list. The list provided here can be thought of as a cliff notes version of sorts from clinical research and available experience.

I put myself in the lab in order to understand from first person perspective the effect, because it’s only then that I can really speak from a place of truth. Otherwise I’m just passing on someone else’s perspective. I have also ran one of the most effective ortho-molecularly based psychiatric rehabilitation centers in the country, Alternative to Meds, in Sedona, Arizona. People of all ages come to detoxify their nervous systems from offending agents (drugs, medications, underlying infections, etc) and get their Ferrari brain’s back online. So, I have a bit of experience from multiple angles.

Regarding different classes of nootropics:

Medications: some pharmaceuticals fall into this arena. Some clinicians in the country even advocate wide and liberal use for the masses in order to boost productivity further. The downside is the variable frequency of side- effects, especially with the stimulants (think of Ritalin as neurochemically similar to cocaine and Adderall as similar to crystal meth), which for children can be especially significant, including the long term effects on psychological development. Another class of meds are the eugeroics, which enhance wakefulness. They’re typically used for people with narcolepsy and excessive daytime sleepiness. One such med is Provigil (or Modafinil) that has been getting wider use. Dave Asprey from Bulletproof Executive has used this for quite a while and advocates it extensively. While there are benefits cognitively, all meds are still synthetic to the body and thus have a higher potential to cause side effects.

Stimulants: Notably our culture is ripe with stimulants used daily throughout the workforce, namely nicotine and caffeine. They’re used because they work! The clinical trials show improved alertness, memory and reaction time. The downside is the acidity, adrenal burn out and in the case of cigarettes the little C problem. An upgrade that many are switching over to is the theobromine in dark chocolate. Not only does it just make you feel super good, it’s a potent anti-oxidant profile and mineral booster.

Neuro–protective agents: Common supplements used as “brain food” that protect the brain and help it repair, i.e. think of healing from a closed head injury, toxic exposures, central nervous system infections, etc.

Targeted herbs and foods have been used classically for hundreds of years to get the brain juices flowing again as well as to modulate certain psychological conditions.

Some people like to engage the plant kingdom directly as it can be seen as being closer to nature. If so, here’s your list, just note that in some cases you may need to take a truck load of a given food or herb to get the distilled benefits in one supplement capsule.

Adaptogens – may the most appreciated and fastest rising class of herbs in use today. They literally help the body adapt to stress, and given the pace we live in our day and age, who couldn’t use their support?

They are generally considered tonifying herbs as well, i.e. those you are encouraged to use daily for strength and vitality. The ones chosen to list here are those that are specifically brain and nervous system supportive as well as being restorative to the adrenal glands.

The ones here are a bit more yang and stimulating: Rhodiola, Ginseng (all of them), Ginkgo biloba, Tulsi (Holy Basil), He Shou Wu.

Wrapping it up, there’s a lot to take into consideration. While it’s fun and exciting to drive a Ferrari to its limit, it’s also a good idea to know how to slow down and stop when necessary.

In the case of brain function, that means finding the resting and recovery period of the parasympathetic system and nightly reparative sleep. The downside to high octane brain performance is running a bit hot through over stimulation, symptoms like anxiety, insomnia, teeth grinding, perpetuating the more, more, more attitude of the rat race and eventually blowing a fuse.

In order to do it all right it takes time, thoughtfulness, experimentation and ideally support from someone knowledgeable in the field. It’s a craft, an alchemy of sorts.

When in doubt, find someone to point you in the right direction before just throwing a bunch of stuff at your fairly delicate brain matter and psychological makeup. Anyone can chug a mug of coffee, light up a cigarette and crapshoot the list of supplements above to see if it’ll boost some brain juice. It’s a totally different story to masterfully and safely construct an ideal protocol and majorly upgrade one’s performance. It’s like going from my original Commodore 64 to the new MacBook Pro. Wow… thank God for upgrades.